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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · wake · tube · file · spell · leaves · ruler · court

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wake — a trail
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tube — a container
  6. court — of law
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. file — a document
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kick — in football
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spell — letters
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. spell — magic
  18. court — for sport
  19. file — a line of people
  20. court — of a king
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com